“Chaucer Is dead, Spencer is dead, so is Milton, so is Shakespeare, and I am not feeling very well myself.”
This witty observation captures a timeless comedic formula. The speaker lists a series of departed luminaries. Then, they deliver the punchline with a dose of self-pity. Many people attribute this famous line to the great American humorist, Mark Twain. However, the joke’s true origin is far more complex and fascinating. It reveals a rich history of folk humor that predates its most famous user. While Twain certainly helped popularize the line, he was standing on the shoulders of forgotten jokesters.
Indeed, Mark Twain did use this joke during a notable speech. On June 9, 1899, he visited the prestigious Savage Club in London. Initially, he declined to speak to the assembled members. Yet, they eventually persuaded him to offer a few words. He delivered the now-famous line, securing his association with it forever. His speech, including this quote, was later published in his 1910 collection, Mark Twain’s Speeches. This event provides the strongest direct link between Twain and the joke. But this documented use occurred twenty-five years after the joke first appeared in print.
A Joke’s Journey: Before Mark Twain
The trail of this comedic gem begins long before Twain’s London speech. Researchers have traced its first known appearance to a newspaper in the American Midwest. The Kansas State Record of Topeka published a version on February 18, 1874. The paper credited an unnamed rural politician with the line: “our greatest men are fast departing—first Calhoun, then Clay, and now Webster—and I don’t feel very well myself.” This anonymous origin sets the stage for the joke’s life as a piece of adaptable folk humor. Source
The template’s appeal was immediate and widespread. Consequently, variations began appearing in publications across the country and beyond. By May 14, 1874, The Cultivator & Country Gentleman featured a Boston-centric version. An unnamed school committee member reportedly said, “our great men are fast departing—first Greeley, then Chase, and now Sumner—and I don’t feel very well myself.” The joke had already adapted to a new city and a new list of great men.
The Joke Goes International
Remarkably, the humor translated across the Atlantic in mere months. A London magazine, Bow Bells, published another variant on June 17, 1874. This time, a member of a New York literary club was the supposed source. He lamented, “our great men are fast departing. First Stanton, then Chase, then Seward, and now Sumner—and I don’t feel very well myself.” The joke’s rapid international travel highlights its universal and flexible nature. It could be tailored to any location or profession, simply by swapping out the names of the deceased.
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The joke continued to evolve over the next decade. For example, a version in the London magazine Tit-Bits in 1883 dispensed with names altogether. A Scotchman simply noted the passing of “the number of the world’s greatest men” before delivering the familiar Punchline. This abstraction proved the joke could work without specific references. Furthermore, it even jumped to a new medium. In 1886, the famous humor magazine Punch incorporated it into a cartoon, solidifying its place in popular culture.
The Power of Celebrity Attribution
The first known attribution to Mark Twain Papers & Project – University of California, Berkeley did not appear until February 27, 1892. The Norfolk Chronicle reported that a politician had quoted the humorist. This occurred a full eighteen years after the joke’s debut in Kansas. This significant time gap strongly suggests Twain was not the originator. Instead, it points to a common phenomenon. Witty, anonymous sayings are often retroactively credited to well-known figures. Twain’s reputation as a master humorist made him a natural candidate for ownership of this popular joke.
Once the connection was made, it stuck. Anecdotes began to surface, placing the joke in Twain‘s mouth at earlier dates. The 1894 collection One Thousand and One Anecdotes included one such story. Yet, these accounts lack contemporary evidence from the supposed time of the event. For instance, a particularly dubious claim came from Twain’s distant cousin, Cyril Clemens, in 1935. He asserted that Twain used the joke during an 1866 lecture tour. This claim, made nearly seventy years after the fact without any proof from 1866, is highly unreliable.
In conclusion, the evidence paints a clear picture. Mark Twain Project Online did not invent this classic comedic line. He adopted and masterfully delivered a joke that was already a well-established piece of public humor. The line’s history as an anonymous, adaptable template shows how comedy can evolve through collective use. Twain’s role was not that of a creator but of a popularizer. He gave a memorable performance of a beloved joke, forever linking his name to a piece of humor that truly belongs to everyone.